


Back To The World

by Ink_Gypsy



Series: Sanctuary Singles [1]
Category: LOTR RPF AU - Fandom
Genre: AU, M/M, Sanctuary Universe, Sean Astin/Elijah Wood - Freeform, feed my muse, fic request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 22:12:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8226407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_Gypsy/pseuds/Ink_Gypsy
Summary: Elijah gets in trouble during a solo walk in the woods.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written in response to a fic request from Mews1945, who is constantly in my thoughts. Knowing you has been a blessing, dear friend.
> 
> While this takes place in the Sanctuary Universe, it is not part of the original story arc. It is strictly a one-off, written for a friend, with Keye's blessing.

[ ](https://imgur.com/eqdZrH9)

Sean couldn’t believe the change in him. When Elijah had first come to him, he’d hated nature in general and the woods in particular, but since Sean had given him the use of his inexpensive digital camera, Elijah couldn’t get enough of the great outdoors.

It didn’t happen right away. For the first week or so, Elijah did all his photography inside the cabin, mostly casual shots of Sean, whom he never tired of getting in his sights, but he eventually began to see the potential in venturing outside where there was wildlife, as well as flowers, plants and trees.

At first Sean went with him, concerned that Elijah might not be steady enough to venture out into the woods alone. Elijah was happy for the company, but as his bruises faded and he grew stronger, he asked if Sean would mind if he made some treks on his own.

Of course Sean didn’t mind, but as Elijah’s absences became longer and longer each day, Sean was surprised by how much he missed him. When Elijah had first appeared at the cabin, lost and alone, the last thing Sean had wanted was someone invading his self-imposed exile, but now he couldn’t imagine Elijah not being there, and if he was being honest with himself, he was dreading the day Elijah would leave.

Imagining the cabin without Elijah made Sean realize he’d been gone longer he’d expected. Normally he came back for lunch, but it was way past that time now. The heat and humidity seemed to effect Elijah more than it did Sean, and Sean tried to remember if Elijah had taken a bottle of water with him. Elijah wasn’t a child, but even though he was feeling much better, the oppressive heat might have caused him to feel faint again. He wasn’t used to the woods yet either. It was possible he could have fallen over a tree root and twisted his ankle, or worse, broken it.

For the first time since he’d made the cabin his home, Sean regretted not having a cell phone, not that it would have done him much good since Elijah had left his own behind, along with everything he associated with Pedar, when he made his escape from the man. Sean knew he was probably worrying for nothing, but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure, would it?

Sean didn’t want to make his worry over Elijah too obvious. He’d always carried a small day bag during his own excursions into the woods, and now he packed it with two bottles of water and two Pop-Tarts, the latter serving as his excuse for his seeking Elijah out. Since he’d been out for so long, maybe Elijah would want a snack, so Sean bringing him one would be just a nice gesture, something one friend would do for another. Sean also secreted bandages, antiseptic, and antibiotic ointment in the bag, along with his Leatherman multi-tool, and even an Ace bandage he’d used years ago for a sprained ankle. If they weren’t needed, Elijah would never have to know he’d worried enough to bring them.

It didn’t surprise Sean that his first sign that Elijah was near was the litany of _Fucks!_ that assaulted his ears. Because Sean was getting used to the obscenities that peppered Elijah’s everyday speech, he didn’t assume that anything was wrong. Most likely Elijah was swearing because he’d filled up the camera’s memory card and wouldn’t be able to take any more photos until he transferred those he’d already taken to the laptop. Sean decided that the next time he went shopping for something he couldn’t get at the general store, he’d buy a couple of extra memory cards, the largest the camera would accommodate, so Elijah could use the camera to his heart’s content without running out of space. 

The idea of surprising Elijah with the memory cards lightened Sean’s mood, lessening his anxiety over Elijah being gone so long. As he walked, he practiced what he’d say to Elijah, hoping the “I thought you might enjoy a snack” greeting he planned to use would sound casual. Then he found Elijah, and the words died on his lips.

Elijah was bent over, as if he’d been reaching down for something on the ground then suddenly changed his mind, but for some reason stayed in the reaching position. As he moved closer, the reason became obvious. Elijah’s right arm was trapped inside several strings of barbed wire that was wound around what looked like an old fence post.

Elijah’s tee-shirt, emblazoned with the image of someone named Iggy Pop, was drenched with sweat and plastered to his chest, and strands of his perspiration-soaked hair drooped onto his forehead. His face was deathly pale, and when he attempted a smile, it turned into a grimace. “Am I glad to see you,” he managed through gritted teeth.

“My God! Elijah!” Sean exclaimed, going to him. “How long have you been like this?”

“Since about an hour after I went out,” Elijah said with obvious effort.

Digging into his bag, Sean took out a bottle of water and uncapping it, held the bottle to Elijah’s lips so he could drink. When Elijah signaled that he’d had enough, Sean put the bottle on the ground and took out the Leatherman. He studied the situation for a moment, trying to decide the best course of action. It was obvious from the punctures and scratches on Elijah’s arm that he had been trying to free it, without success. Sean accessed the wire cutter tool and began clipping as quickly and carefully as possible. “How did this happen?” he asked as he worked.

“It was the fucking fox’s fault,” Elijah mumbled.

Sean was sure he must have misheard. “I beg your pardon?”

“I heard what sounded like crying,” Elijah explained, “and I followed the sound to here. There was a fox with his leg caught in this fucking barbed wire. I figured I could help him, and I did get his leg free without getting more than a few scratches, but once he was out of the wire, I guess he got scared because he started jumping around. Maybe he was just afraid of me and trying to get away, but I figured he might have rabies or something, so I backed up to get out of his way and tripped on a fucking branch.”

“And fell into the wire,” Sean finished for him.

“Yeah,” Elijah confirmed. “I tried to get loose, but couldn’t do much with just one hand, and the more I tried, the more tangled I got. I tried sitting down, but I couldn’t move enough, so I stayed bent over. I guess I’m lucky I didn’t pass out or I would have torn my arm open.” He sighed. “After all I did for that little bastard, he just took off without even a thank you.”

Sean bit his lip to keep from smiling. “No good deed goes unpunished,” he said.

“You’re telling me,” Elijah agreed.

Sean continued to clip the wires. “I’ve just about got you out,” he advised, and after several more minutes, Elijah was free and Sean helped him to the ground so he could sit.

“My fucking back is killing me,” Elijah declared, but now that he was hydrated and finally able to rest comfortably, some of his color was coming back. 

Examining Elijah’s arm, Sean announced, “There are more scratches than puncture wounds, and luckily the punctures aren’t too deep.” He cleaned all of the injuries with the antiseptic he’d brought, then applied the antibiotic ointment and the bandages. “But this barbed wire is rusty. We’ll have to drive to a hospital and get you a tetanus shot, unless you’re lucky enough to have had one within the last…” What was the length of time a tetanus shot was effective? “…ten years?”

“Then I’m okay,” Elijah told him. “When I was still working at the restaurant, I cut my hand on a knife I pulled out from under the sink. Whoever dropped it didn’t bother to pick it up so it was probably there for years. Between the old food and dirt stuck on it, it was pretty gross. I figured it was too dull to cut anything, but boy was I wrong.” He held up his left hand. “I got five stitches, and the manager even paid for me to get a tetanus shot. Guess he didn’t want to get sued if I died.” Elijah pursed his lips. “Has to be about four years ago.”

“Good,” Sean said, “one less thing to worry about, but we will have to keep an eye on your arm, just to be safe.”

Curious about what else was in Sean’s bag, Elijah poked inside and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You brought Pop-Tarts?”

Sean returned the medical supplies to the bag, looking embarrassed. “They were my excuse for coming to find you.”

“You didn’t think I’d be okay on my own?”

“I’m sorry.”

Elijah smiled. “I’m not. If you hadn’t come looking for me, I’d still be stuck out here without food or water.” He helped himself to a Pop-Tart, tore open the wrapper and took a bite. His enjoyment of it didn’t seem any less because it wasn’t warm from the toaster. “And I’d still be caught in the fucking wire.”

“I’ve never run across that wire or the post in all the times I’ve explored these woods, so who knows how long they’ve been here. What we need to do is get rid of the wire, or at least move it so no one – animal or human – can get caught on it again.”

“Where to?”

“My tool shed should do.” Sean set to clipping again until he’d removed all the barbed wire from around the post. “And so _I_ don’t end up needing a tetanus shot…” He took the Ace bandage out of his bag and wrapped it around the bunch of cut wire so he could carry it without getting stuck.

Elijah grinned. “You really did come prepared.”

“I was a Boy Scout.”

“Really?” Elijah asked, unsure whether Sean was joking or telling the truth.

Sean raised his right hand in the well-known, three-finger pledge. “Scout’s Honor.”

Once they were back at the cabin and Sean had stowed the barbed wire in his tool shed, they went inside. “You must be hungry,” he told Elijah. “You missed lunch.”

“But I had a Pop-Tart.”

“You had two Pop-Tarts,” Sean reminded him. “I saw you sneak the other one out of the bag.”

Elijah didn’t look the least bit contrite. “But I’m still hungry.”

“That’s a good sign.”

Sean decided on ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch, with tall glasses of cold milk. Elijah hadn’t been lying when he said he was still hungry. He finished every bite of his sandwich and drained his glass, even snuck a few cookies for dessert. When he couldn’t suppress a yawn, Sean suggested he lie down for a while. When Elijah started for the loveseat, Sean said he should take the bed, and was surprised when Elijah didn’t protest, which meant he really was wiped out. Elijah was still recovering from the abuse he’d suffered at the hands of the man he called his lover, and Sean didn’t want anything to set that recovery back, so he was glad Elijah had agreed to rest.

After he had washed and put away the dishes, Sean sat at his desk. Taking out his favorite fountain pen, he opened the cover of a blank notebook, pleased that the urge to write was returning. He imagined he’d make just a few notes, get some ideas down, but when he’d finished writing and looked at his watch, he realized over an hour had passed. There had been silence while he worked, the only sounds in the cabin the ticking of the mantle clock and the scratching of his pen’s metal nib as it moved across the paper. He had expected Elijah to be up by now, downloading the photos he’d taken today from the camera to the laptop, but had been too involved in his writing to notice that he wasn’t. Concerned, he got up to check.

Elijah wasn’t just resting, but asleep, which worried Sean. Maybe tetanus wasn’t a possibility, but there was still the chance of infection. He gently placed his hand on Elijah’s forehead to check for fever, hoping not to wake him, but as soon as Sean touched him, Elijah opened his eyes. “Sorry,” Sean said. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“It’s okay. I was going to get up anyway.”

“There’s no hurry. Give yourself a little more time.”

When Sean turned to go, Elijah reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him. “You saved my life today.”

“That’s an exaggeration,” Sean said uncomfortably. “I just helped you out of a tight spot.”

Elijah let go of Sean’s wrist and sat up, hugging his knees to his chest. “You did more than that, Sean. When you thought I might need help, you came looking for me. You even brought medicine and bandages in case I was hurt.” He frowned. “Okay, maybe I wouldn’t have died, but I still brought you trouble, something I’ve been doing since I got here.”

“Elijah—“

“No, let me finish,” Elijah stopped him. “You didn’t invite me here. I just showed up on your doorstep. I was hurt, and you took care of me. You let me stay here when anyone else would have said it wasn’t their problem and sent me on my way.”

“You’ve already thanked me for that,” Sean insisted, “about a dozen times.”

“No matter how many times I thank you, Sean, it will never be enough. Wherever I wind up after I leave here, I’ll never forget what you did for me.”

Sean felt a little clutch in his heart at the words _after I leave here_ , thinking again how much he was going to miss Elijah. Despite how much he wanted to deny it, his feelings for the boy were growing, but because he knew those feelings would never be returned, wouldn’t it be harder on him the longer Elijah stayed?

“I took some nice shots today,” Elijah said, bringing Sean out of his reverie, “before I decided to play hero for the fox. I’m going to upload them to the laptop so I can use the memory card again.”

Sean remembered his plan to buy additional memory cards for the camera, memory cards Elijah wouldn’t be here to use. Maybe he’d buy them anyway, and let Elijah take the camera with him when he left. It wasn’t as if he’d have any use for it. “Good idea,” Sean told him, “and while you’re doing that, I’m going to go out and check the garden.”

“I can upload the pictures later. You want company?”

“No, you rest some more and take care of your photos. I won’t be long.”

“Okay.”

Strolling through his garden, checking his flowers and vegetables, Sean thought about how many times he’d done so after Daniel’s death, alone, and liking it that way. When had that changed? Elijah’s unexpected presence in his life might have forced Sean back to the world he’d sought to escape, but he was here now, and alive again because of Elijah. To his surprise, Sean realized that he wanted to stay, but once Elijah was gone, would he still feel the same way? 

When he went back inside, he found Elijah at the computer working on his photos. He was wearing headphones, his head moving in time to whatever music he was listening to, seeming none the worse for his experience in the woods. Turning and seeing Sean, Elijah smiled at him.

Sean smiled back. Life was what you made of it, and for as long as Elijah was here with him, Sean was going to make the most of his.


End file.
